Restoring A Historic House: Tips And Tricks Before Getting Started

The queen-sized bed, tucked into the niche created by the new bathroom, which is behind the wall to the right.

This one does need a lot of work, but there are tons of original features including floors, doors and woodwork throughout.

Although there appears to be an addition, it fits in really well, and the original floor plan remains. Alternatively if you think you are getting this page in error, please check your internet connection and reload. As for the recycling bin for paper, it’s banished to a different room—and another cabinet.

It reminded us again of the things we originally fell in love with, but sometimes take for granted. In fact, hubby’s grandfather’s house is great to go see it, as now it’s a historic building.

Previous owners of our house did very little to mess up the original features of the house, thank goodness. This place is built much more solidly than any new place, and the simple proportions suit my taste perfectly. We have salvaged old paneled doors, installed period style windows, tore out hideous shag carpet to reveal beautiful oak floors, and so on. It still has many of the original features though it has been updated in the kitchen and baths. I were concerned, the most amazing thing in the house was the laundry chute from the bathroom down to the laundry area in the basement.

Original bathroom wall

There are many stone and brick homes where we live and we so enjoy strolling past each one. My doorknobs have a different backplate from the ones shown in your pictures but they all have crystal knobs. Unfortunately at 80 plus years the only bath must be replaced and all of the concrete and the wall that holds the old plumbing must be torn out.

I had to read the part about the trash being collected from behind the garage, not on the street, more than once!

Because my grandfather bundled and stored them when the early 1900 house was torn down, we are slowly adding them to our newer house one thing at a time.

Keep an eye out—especially around the ceilings, floors, and windows—for signs of water damage. And, above all, anybody you bring must understand your ultimate goal of restoring the property.

Sadly, the brick looks to have been painted, but the good news about that is; now it can be re-painted in a great color!

Gothic rooflines with simple detailing give a very clean lined curb appeal to this 129 year old beauty.

A quick drive around the neighborhood reveals a wonderfully diverse range of turn of the century architecture.

A standalone tub and wide sink offer old-world charm in the bathroom, where tiles give the back wall a fresh and modern feel. Ellis says, politely overlooking that where clutter and children are concerned, her rule may actually be an exception. Downsizing isn’t easy for me and hope the “new family” will cherish it as we have these past forty plus years.

Updating it to add modern conveniences (like electricity, plumbing, central heat and air, etc. That said, it’s great to now be able to walk into a room and turn on a light from a switch, instead of stumbling in the dark to turn on a lamp … just one of the many things that we take for granted. I live in a house that was built in the 1930s, but except for the wonderful front porch and arched doorways, most of the charm had been removed when we bought it. It’s obvious the they were high quality from the start since they’ve stood the test of time so well. Some people just see all the quirks of older homes and find fault because they are not perfect but that is what makes me love them. I actually had one in my first house after we married…we requested it but it didn’t get used very much since it was for the guest room primarily.

I wonder if the people were well off or if they had to cut back on the choices they made for the house.

My house has tons of charm but also a bathroom floor set into 2 inches of concrete (because that’s how they made them to last ). We put up what we thought was a good-quality storm door with glass and screen insets, and it needed replacing in less than a decade.

I don’t care what anyone says, new houses just don’t have the character that older houses have.

Indoor plumbing was added sometime in the early part of the 20th century, which eliminated both the old cistern/cold storage shed & the old hand pump conveniently located in the dirt floored basement.